To really get a notion of what the “Hostess City of the South” is all about just pick up a copy of John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.  This book is part true murder story and part travelogue. The author weaves a great yarn and also gives the reader a great sense for the history and character of a very interesting city.  We are probably the only two people on earth who actually LIKED the movie, but we’re incurable fans. This is one laid-back town. Savannah was designed by a military officer in a grid pattern, so navigating the old section is easy. Its 23 squares (originally 24) are beautifully landscaped and make for a great walking tour. Each has its own personality.  The cornerstone of any tour is Mercer House, scene of the murder in “THE BOOK” (as Savannahians refer to it) and a beautiful home in its own right.   Our tour guide was a real Savannah character, with a tatto of the “Bird Girl” on his leg, and an encyclopedic knowledge of the city, its denizens, and Bonaventure Cemetary, a beautiful place if you ignore its purpose.

Whenever we visit Savannah we go hear Gail Thurmond, the Queen of Lounge Piano and vocalist.  Gail was at the Pink House for 14 years (upper left) and is now at the Grapevine on Wilmington Island (upper right).